Suffocation
by Cheria
Summary: Gin loses Rangiku in a crowd, but is shortly confronted with problems of his own.


Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its contents, Tite Kubo does.

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He knew he shouldn't have brought her along.

"Rangiku?"

Truth be told, he had been half expecting the girl to get lost the moment they entered the market place, but this was ridiculous. Rangiku had been missing for well over a hour, and genuine concern had started accumulating in his conscience. Gin had looked high and low, over the supply crates and underneath the shop stands, but to no avail. There was no sign of strawberry blond anywhere, and it was beginning to irritate the boy.

He would find Rangiku even if it killed him. Not literally, of course; death was the last thing on his mind.

"_Ran_." He called, emphasizing the use of her nickname to lure her out in the case that she was hiding from him on purpose. No such luck.

The silver-haired boy stifled a sigh of frustration, scuttling his way down the market place to look for a flash of yellow and red. Rangiku possessed a unique shade of blond hair, and looking for her would be like trying to find a speck of red paint on a black surface. At least, it should have been that simple. There was no sign of yellow, not even a bland shade, anywhere. And the sudden traffic of people were certainly of no help to someone whose size was considerably smaller in comparison to the passing adults (Gin knew better than to assume they were elders just from their appearance, he was easily a senior to some of the oldest individuals around town simply because he had died at a young age).

He pushed past the larger figures, squeezing himself through the openings only a child could have fit through. "'scue me." He grunted, focusing his weight before him so that he could avoid being toppled over by a rather large man as the latter nearly stepped on him. It was not the first time, Rangiku had often commented on how small Gin looked due to his skinny form. He was just lanky, honest.

The crowd was thickening, he observed, noticing the decreasing of bigger spaces to fit through as he fought hard to leave. Being much smaller, it was difficult to gain any oxygen when the figures towering over him blocked it all off with their constant shuffling and movement. Putting aside the formalities, he began to push and shove, occasionally softly kicking out at legs that were inconveniently placed on the owners' part. He had no intention of suffocating to death in a busy market crowd. It would be humiliating and, as Rangiku would so crudely put it, 'as dumb as that brainless thug you beat the living daylights out of the other day'. Gin slightly frowned at the thought. The only reason he had done such a thing was because said thug had been staring at Rangiku in a suggestive manner.

It felt ironic. He had jinxed himself, he realized, when he remembered the promise to find Rangiku even if it killed him. And for the first time in a long while, he felt an utterly shameful feeling of stupidity take over his usually stoic one.

_Nice goin', Gin. Smooth._

Then he saw light, and he was overjoyed at the opening as he shoved past more appendages, ignoring the curses and dirty glares he received from those that he pushed aside. But then the crowd was constantly moving, and the light to freedom was slowly beginning to close at an alarming rate. Panic reigned, and he lunged, nearly tripping as he slammed face first into welcoming arms, successfully leaving behind the accursed crowd of countless tragedies.

The arms were strangely comforting, and he found himself burying his head even futher in to the newfound presence. Something felt unusually soft, however, and when he realized that it was indeed a female's chest - and it must have been a well blossoming girl - he immediately leapt back. For a split second his smile was turned down into a horrified frown, but the perpetual expression quickly took its rightful place again when he registered just who he had been cuddling.

Rangiku looked incredulously at him, a brow raised. "Gin?" After what felt like an eternity she lowered her arms.

"Rangiku," he almost swallowed, "ya got lost."

She nodded slowly, appearing to be rather disappointed with herself. "Sorry. I just looked away once and you weren't there anymore."

"I kno', I wasn' bein' careful." Gin dismissed her apology, and she knew he had accepted it since he sincerely didn't seem to care for those. Her look of discontent vanished, and she held out her arms again. When his brows raised slightly in confusion, she rolled her eyes.

"I thought you liked it." She gestured to her torso, and Gin could have sworn his jaw had dropped and hit the ground.

He regained his posture, straightening himself as Rangiku continued to glare expectantly in his direction. "I ain't gonna jump into yer chest." _'specially not in public,_ he silently added. He would rather throw himself off a cliff than tell her that last part.

It was as clear as the sky that Rangiku was already a beautiful girl at her age. Her hair was naturally curled in and a shade of strawberry blond that was rare around these parts, and her eyes were neither big nor small. They were just the right size for that face that was steadily losing baby fat (unlike Gin, who still had plenty of that fat lurking around the edges of his features). She was young, or at least she looked it still, but it didn't stop her from looking gorgeous. And there was her chest, already well sized and shaped for a growing body. Oh, no, you couldn't forget her chest.

She huffed, crossing her arms. "And why not? You just did a moment ago."

"I was happy ta be livin'," he replied defensively, "and I didn' see ya 'til I was in yer arms."

The blond snorted half heartedly at his initial response, then pushed the conversation away with a wave of her hand. "Did you get everything we need?" The query was confirmed when he lifted a haphazardly strewn basket filled with persimmons, and she smiled brightly. "Let's go back before it gets dark."

As usual, the trip back was nothing short of amusement. Rangiku expressed her excitement at being in the market place for the first time without having had to stare at the merchandise while starving, the circumstances she had been in before he had entered her life. This explained why and how she had gotten lost. She had been distracted by a particularly distinguished stand that sold and traded sets of beautifully sewed kimono, and that had been the moment Gin had chosen to take his eyes off her. He noted to never do that again when they were near a particularly expensive booth. Those stands always bargained with an excessive amount of fancy accesories.

When the two reached the place of their residence, an old run-down shack, he immediately went to bed after stashing away those precious dried persimmons. Rangiku had tucked herself in while he was busy putting away their ration.

Shockingly, when he woke at the crack of dawn the next day, the first person he saw was Rangiku, and the first thing he felt was the gentle press of her chest against his face. If the next crowd didn't kill him, surely her chest would finish the job what with Rangiku's insistence that he cuddle himself into it.


End file.
